Nutrition Specialist Fuels Soldiers for High-Altitude Missions

AULI, India - Most Soldiers have never heard of a 68M military occupational specialty. Sgt. Clinton Dofredo-Wyatt is one, and his job is making sure Soldiers training at the high altitudes of the Himalayas in India get enough calories and water to keep performing.

Dofredo-Wyatt is a nutrition care specialist assigned to the Holistic Health and Fitness team for 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He deployed to India for Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, where he provides hands-on nutrition support to Soldiers in the field.

In a hospital setting, Dofredo-Wyatt said his duties center on patient feeding, tailoring menus to a patient's condition and needs during a hospital stay. "I work directly with either a civilian or officer counterpart who is a registered dietitian," said Dofredo-Wyatt. But during YA26, that same expertise is applied to Soldiers conducting mountain warfare training and preparing for a field training exercise alongside the Indian Army.

"Within H2F, it's about being an example among Soldiers within the brigade, but also educating and giving factual evidence on how Soldiers can fuel themselves better, recover better and perform better," Dofredo-Wyatt said.

Dofredo-Wyatt said calorie intake takes priority over fine-tuning macronutrient balance in the current environment, though both remain part of his guidance to soldiers.

"Right now, the biggest concern is making sure Soldiers are getting enough calories first, before we get into the finer details of macro and micro nutrients," Dofredo-Wyatt said. "The biggest thing is making sure our Soldiers have enough calories and enough water to stay lethal and train alongside our Indian Army counterparts."

He said guidance from an earlier Indian Army medical briefing reinforced his own approach to fueling soldiers at altitude.

"Taking in enough carbohydrates covers your calorie needs and helps your body use oxygen more efficiently than relying on protein or fat," Dofredo-Wyatt said, referencing the briefing.

Dofredo-Wyatt said adjusting to different food options is part of the fueling challenge for Soldiers who have not deployed internationally before. He said the solution is reframing expectations about what to eat, rather than avoiding the food available.

"It's all about reframing your expectations about what you're used to eating," Dofredo-Wyatt said. "Once you try it, you learn that this food is what I need, and I can do my job and stay mission ready."

Dofredo-Wyatt said hydration is the other consistent focus of his interactions with Soldiers, making sure they drink enough water throughout the day while training at elevation.

This is Dofredo-Wyatt's first overseas exercise. He said experiencing the altitude firsthand, rather than relying on secondhand accounts, has shaped how he approaches his role supporting soldiers during YA26.

"I feel very gracious to just be here," Dofredo-Wyatt said. "This is a very different environment from anywhere I've ever been, and it's helpful to be here to understand how the environment is affecting the human body firsthand."

Since 2004, Yudh Abhyas, a U.S. Army Pacific-sponsored bilateral exercise with the Indian Army, has enhanced combined interoperability and strengthened the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.